HOP AND LIME-TREE RED SPIDER. 141 



From their extreme minuteness and transparency, the 

 various parts show very indistinctly when magnified, and the 

 nipping-jaws and sucker were not clearly visihle. I have 

 therefore only been able to give the general figure of the mite, 

 Avith the peculiar long stifl' hairs with knobs at the ends (which 

 are believed to help the Eed Spiders in spinning) figured on 

 those feet, on which they were distinguishable. 



These mites spin their webs over the trunks and branches, 

 and beneath the leaves of the infested trees, giving a kind of 

 glaze or silky lustre to the surface ; and on this web they can 

 travel easily. They are to be found heaped like masses of 

 living yellow dust at the foot of the tree, and those on the 

 leaves congregate chiefl:y on the lower side, sometimes so 

 thickly that none of the green colour of the leaf is visible. 

 Here they draw away the juices with their suckers, and, 

 though they are but small, there are so many of them that 

 the leaves shrink and die from the injury. 



Prevention and Kemedies. — The eggs, figured from life at 

 p. 140, may be found attached to the webs ; and it has been 

 found that brushing the tree-stems hard and thoroughly, so 

 as to remove the webs, is serviceable in some degree in clearing 

 attack, and would be still more so if some soft-soap was 

 brushed in at the same time. 



With regard to the masses that congregate together at the 

 base of the tree, something might be done by banking round 

 at a few feet distance and a few inches high, and filling the 

 space enclosed with mud made as thin as would be retained 

 by the raised edge. The Eed Spider particularly dislikes 

 moisture, and a few experiments would show what chemicals 

 or other additions might be mixed with the mud, to poison as 

 well as drown the pest. 



A liberal mixture of fish-oil soft-soap, so as to completely 

 plaster round the foot of the tree and stick all wandering mites 

 fast that touched it, could not fail to do good at a trifling cost; 

 but, excepting by such continuous and thorough drenchings as 

 it is scarcely possible to apply to large trees, it is most difficult 

 to do anything for the infested leaves. 



The following recipe, however, might be of service : — Gas- 

 water, three gallons, to which is added one pound of flour of 

 sulphur ; these to be held over the fire whilst being mixed, 

 and soft-soap added in such quantity as to make the mixture 

 adhere. This may be applied to the branches by means of a 

 painter's brush, and where remedies are needed on a large 

 scale it may be diluted to the state in wdiich it is a safe appli- 

 cation, and the liquid thrown over the leaves by means of the 

 garden-engine. Probably fifteen parts of water to one of the 

 mixture would be quite safe, but this would require trial. 



